ANOTHER CHANCE
by SassyOceanSprite
Summary: After Yuna accepts the fact that Tidus is gone, the Fayth give Rikku a chance to go back and time to tell Tidus her true feelings. Will she find the strength she needs to finally tell him or will the same thing end up happening?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** The Final Fantasy Series is owned, copyright, and trademarked by their respective owners. I take no credit nor do I own (or claim to own) anything Final Fantasy related in my stories.

**Spoiler Alert:** If you haven't played and/or completed both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 then you may be a little lost when reading this story as it contains things from both games.

**ANOTHER CHANCE  
**_A Final Fantasy X Fanfic_

**Prologue**

The pain in her chest ran through her whole body as she doubled over onto her knees. She clutched a couple heaps of grass in her hands holding onto them so tight that her tan knuckles were as white as the snow at Lake Macalania. In her mind the grass was her sanity that would certainly float away if she ever let it go. Her sobs were uncontrollable as her body heaved--the distress made her physically sick. It was all too much. Why had her cousin done it? The Fayth had given Yuna a choice! She could have brought him back! How could she have accepted that he was gone? _She _wouldn't accept it--_she _couldn't accept it.

Rikku lifted her head staring at the pyreflies that enveloped the Moonlilies through bloodshot eyes. She had overheard Yuna telling Lulu how she remembered that he had wanted to see them. Rikku had taken solace in the spot many times after that. Now he would never get to see them.

Closing her eyes she lowered her head again. Her hair brushed across the ground getting grains of dirt in her blond hair. Her knees were already scrapped with where she had fallen on a few tiny pebbles and her nails had brown mud underneath them. She didn't care, though. She stood, not bothering to dust herself off, and continued to stare out at the river--glowing like a sea of stars.

"That man seems rather font of you." A voice behind her stated.

Wheeling around quickly, Rikku prepared a battle stance. A small boy stood wearing a purple hood that hid his eyes and revealed only the bottom half of his tan face stood calmly behind her, unaffected. Her green eyes, still glistening with fresh tears, widened in complete shock. Has she finally lost it or was this boy really standing in front of her? And who was he talking about? She relaxed herself and wiped her eyes with a small hiccup.

Turning her head slightly to the side she saw Gippal standing far from her in the distance. He paced back and forth uncertainly. One hand rubbed the back of his neck while the other had his face buried in it--he looked worried. She'd asked him for a ride from the Djose Temple, but never expected him to stay with her. A high pitched groan escaped her lips and she immediately she felt guilty for worrying him, but she couldn't just shake off the more pressing pain she felt--she loved Gippal, but she wasn't in love with him. Not like she was with _him_.

"Don't cry." The boy said. "You want to see him again." His tone never changed with his statements, they were all emotionless and factual.

"Yes." Rikku squeaked, her hands clasped together. She was clearly begging the boy in front of her, unsure of how things would work out. How did the Fayth know what she wanted--she wasn't connected to them in the way that Yuna had been. That fact that they stood before her now was something like a miracle.

"I can't promise anything." He said. "But I'll see what I can do."

A small smile that you could barely see appeared on the corners of his lips. Rikku tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows in confusion. Would she really…?

The boy was gone. She was left alone in front of the Moonflow with the guilty thoughts of hurting Gippal in the back of her mind. But she had to see him again. She had to tell him how she felt, even if he didn't feel the same way. She needed him.

Taking a seat on the ground, she continued to peer out at the waters. The pyreflies surrounding the waters shifted their flight patterns and floated over in her direction. They surrounded her in a wave of iridescent hues that were magical and beautiful. She could faintly hear the sound of her name being called, but it sounded as if it were coming from two places at once.

"Rikku!" She could hear Gippal yelling.

_Rikku…_ She could hear _him _saying.

Everything around her seemed to melt away. It soon faded like a watermark on a white background.


	2. Chapter One

**CHAPTER ONE**

Something tickled the side of her face. Lifting a hand she tried to shoo the offending source away, but it continued. In fact it only increased leading to more discomfort. It was wet and cold sending a shiver down Rikku's spine. Her eyes fluttered as she regained consciousness although she hadn't even realized that she'd passed out.

Sitting herself up on to her knees she looked around. She must have been moved because this wasn't where she had previously been. She was inside a Machina--a primitive one at that. This model had become obsolete two years ago. Although her surroundings were different they were also strangely familiar.

Rikku stood while running her fingers across the switchboard in front of her and tilting her head to the side. Her eyes moved upwards, followed by her head, and she bent over so close to the glass window across from her that her nose was almost touching it.

She was underwater!

Not only that, but her outfit wasn't her usual short-shorts and yellow bikini top. No she was dressed head to toe in the full-body suit that she wore years ago--a type of maroon and back wetsuit. Even her hair was shorter than it had been earlier! What was going on here?

There were numerous cracks in the glass; it would be only a matter of time before it broke and the machine would explode. Frantically beating on the walls, she looked for some sort emergency hatch that she could escape through. Now that she knew what kind of trouble she was in the cracking became loud and boisterous to her ears. "It's got to be here somewhere!" She yelled to no one in particular.

She spun around, placing both hands on either side of the Machina. Her eyes looked for any chance of escape. There was nothing around her. Dropping her head down towards the ground she barely noticed a small indention in the floor where a trap door was under the inches of water that had built up. She quickly fell to her knees and scrapped the area with her nails to pry it open. The door slid open with ease and she shimmied down the ladder beyond. There was a red wheel connected to a door at the end which she paused at to regulate her breathing for underwater--something she hadn't done in a long time. It came quite naturally to her as she pushed the door open.

Water forced its way into the Machina almost sucking her in like a whirlpool. She clutched into the handle as tight as she could until the force had subsided enough for her to let go and swim the opposite direction.

Kicking her feet she swam upward, gasping for air as she hit the surface. Lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the sun she looked around. She was somewhere in the middle of the Moonflow. Frowning, she started to swim for shore. Whoever had done this had a terrible sense of humor although it did keep her mind preoccupied for the moment.

She crawled out of the muddy waters onto the edge of the Moonflow. Her arms ached from all the work she had done to get this far--she just couldn't go any farther. Not right now anyway. She collapsed still hallway in the water.

"Ugh." She groaned. Her head throbbed, she hadn't been as prepared as she would have liked when she held her breath so long--she hadn't done that for a while now. It was hard on her. With the sun hitting on her back she was now starting to burn up and sweat inside

From out of the forest she could hear footsteps crunching on the leaves. "You're not dead?" an ever so familiar voice asked. Rikku's heart stopped in her chest. She ignored the voice--it must have been some kind of trick her mind played on her. Rikku stood up and started to get out of the suit.

She unsnapped the latched under her arms and let the pack on her back drop to the ground. Searching for the zipper she unzipped her wetsuit and squeezed her way out of. She could hear the confused awe at whoever was standing near her--it was listening to the audio track of the past. Lifting her head she thought she could see the faded visage of him. Closing her eyes she quickly shoved that thought away. She was finally losing it.

After lifting the goggles off of her head she gave a smile. "I thought I was done for back there." She said, sincerely. There was no mistaking it now that she had those foggy goggles off. It was him! It was really him! Her knees felt week as she fell back down on her hands and knees.

"Rikku! You're Rikku!" He said in his overly excited way. Rikku didn't know what to say or what to do. It had to have been the Fayth's doing, but sending her back here? Was there a way to prevent him from just becoming a dream or was this just a chance to tell him how she felt--like she had been too afraid to do the first time around. "Hey! You're ok! How you been?" He asked. She continuously shook her head. Is this what the Fayth would have done for Yuna? Sent her back in time knowing what she does now? Knowing that he's just a dream that will disappear soon?

"Terrible." She responded, looking at the ground.

He crouched down close beside her. She could feel his body heat transferring off of his body to her own. "Yeah, you don't look so good. What happened?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulders.

What happened? _We defeated Sin, but along the way you fell in love with Yuna instead of me and you ended up disappearing forever!_ She thought, although she couldn't very well tell him that. Quickly she thought of something, anything, to keep from suspicions arising. There was a good chance they wouldn't let her join the group if there was anything funny about her, even if he vouched for her.

"You beat me up, remember?" She said, pointing an accusing finger in his direction.

He fell backwards and stuttered, clearly unsure what she was talking about. It made her smile just seeing him again. And it was just the two of them! He stood up and it suddenly donned on him. "That Machina…" He said, slowly putting the pieces together. "That was you?"

She nodded her head and stood up. The excitement from everything had made her dizzy, but she caught herself before she fell back down again. He looked slightly worried. "That really hurt, you big meanie." She said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"W-w-wait!" He said defensively, holding up his hands as a surrender. "But you attacked us!"

"Nuh uh!" She shot back, suddenly full of life. Technically she wasn't lying either--past Rikku was the one who attacked them. She merely woke up in the wrong place in the wrong time--literally. But being around him brought back so many great memories. It brought back the fun-loving, carefree Rikku that had been missing ever since Yuna had denied the Fayth's offer. "It's not exactly what you think." She said.

Rikku opened her mouth to explain everything when the others walked up behind them. It was amazing seeing everyone again. They were all so much younger! And Auron was there! She shook her head trying to take everything in.

"Yo!" Wakka yelled out. "Friend of yours?" He asked approaching them.

"Uh, you could say that." He said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

A sudden pain appeared in her chest as he said those words. She tried to tell herself that he hadn't been around her for quite of bit of time--it would be hard for him to consider her a friend after having only known her for a couple days and then being separated. But she saw him first. Didn't that mean anything?

"Pleased to meet you!" She said with fake enthusiasm. "I'm Rikku!" She had to make a good impression on these people, especially on Wakka with his hatred of the Al Bhed.

"Yuna, Lulu… I told you about her, remember?" He said. Her heart skipped a beat and butterflies filled her stomach. He had mentioned her? Talked about her? Thought about her? Although it might not have meant anything to him it meant everything to her! "She was the one who helped me before I was washed up on Besaid! She's an Al Bhe...beh..."

Her eyes widened a bit as he was about to slip the words that could stop her from joining the group and she didn't have a plan for if that happened. She wouldn't let it happen. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Wakka chimmed in. "Wow, so you, like, owe her your life! What luck meeting here, ya?" A wave of relief washed over her. The déjà vu was a little too much, but she had to keep up the part. At least for now until they grew to trust her a little more.

More words were exchanged, but Rikku honestly wasn't listening to any of them. She simply stared at him out of the corners of her eyes.

Tidus.

It wasn't until Yuna spoke that Rikku snapped out of it. "There's something we need to discuss." She said. A slight frown appeared on her face, but she quickly hid it. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Yuna. She loved her cousin, but she also couldn't help but blame her a little bit for accepting that he was gone. If Yuna had just wanted him back then all of this would have been avoided. Sure, Rikku probably wouldn't have been happy watching the two of them together all of the time, but it would be enough to have just seen him and secretly pine.

"Girl's only! Boys wait over there." She said, running over to the other girls. She was afraid talking to them she might let something slip.

Instead in their little huddle, tears of happiness slid down Yuna's face. "It's so good to see you, Rikku." She smiled her soft serene smile. Yuna was so wise, even now, it was no wonder that Tidus loved her instead.

"Let me join you, Yuna." Rikku begged. She didn't state her reasons for wanting to join the group and the two of them didn't ask.

Yuna simple smiled. "Of course you can." She said with a hint of appreciation to her voice--it was obvious she wanted Rikku there just as much as Rikku wanted to be there.

Immediately Rikku felt guilty--she was using everyone for her own selfish agenda while everyone thought that Yuna was making a trip to death. Even though she knew it wasn't the case and everything would end up fine, Rikku still felt bad. If she changed anything would things still turn out the same? And what would happen if she accidentally changed the future? Would she return to that future or the one she was at? Was any of this even real?

The others had already walked back to the group. Yuna was facing Sir Auron, but Rikku only caught the end of her statement. "…to be my guardian."

Auron peered out through his sunglasses in Rikku's direction. Slowly he moved over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl quickly dropped her head and closed her eyes. If anyone could see the truth then certainly Auron would be able to. After all he was a wise spirit with unfinished business--an unsent. If anyone could sense something odd about her, that she wasn't the Rikku she was supposed to be but one from the future, then Auron would be the one.

"Look at me." He commanded. With a slight shudder she lifted her head with her eyes remaining closed. "Open your eyes." She only opened one. Lifting his chin he nodded. "As I thought." He said--a little differently than she had remembered him saying in the past.

"No good?" She asked, worried.

He gazed at her intently. "Are you sure?" He verified. Rikku had never been more sure of anything in her life. Thrusting a balled fist in the air she told him that she was 100% certain. "If Yuna wishes it."

"I do." Yuna said quickly.

With a smile she glanced back at Tidus. He smiled at her and gave a nod of his head in approval. "Rikku's a good girl." He exclaimed. It was obvious that he was happy the girl was joining them. Although she wished that he was happy for a reason other than simple friendship, she was glad that she was able to at least get that sort of affection out of him. She had missed him terribly to an unhealthy point.

"We're heading to Guadosalam." Lulu informed her. With a nod of her head she held back to stay Tidus' side.

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with this opportunity that the Fayth had bestowed on her, but she would figure it out and take advantage of it.


End file.
